Some mock Donald Trump for his focus on border security and building a wall, but make no mistake, Karla Guadalupe-Magaña, a young West Michigan mom, isn't laughing. She's dead, murdered by an illegal immigrant who had just been arrested and released by the Kent County Sheriff's Office only five days previously.

The murder transpired despite the fact the assailant was deported multiple times in the last decade...

Raul Perez, 43, is charged with open murder and being a third-time habitual offender. He’s accused of killing 31-year-old Karla Guadalupe-Magaña at Woodcreek Apartments on 44th Street east of Burlingame Avenue SW...

Police say Guadalupe-Magaña was Perez’s girlfriend, but the victim’s brother tells 24 Hour News 8 they were friends and she wasn’t living with Perez.

A GoFundMe page shows Guadalupe-Magaña was a mother of five children. Family is asking for help with funeral expenses.

Just five days before the killing, 24 Hour News 8 learned, Wyoming police arrested Perez on a misdemeanor operating while intoxicated charge. Kent County Undersheriff Michelle Young said he used a different name to identify himself after the arrest: Jerry Lopes Sosa.

A fingerprint scan showed his real name, though, which revealed his criminal record. Young told 24 Hour News 8 that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would have been notified of his arrest and it would be up to that agency to direct the jail to keep Perez in custody.

“On the [Saturday, Oct.] 22, ICE would’ve been notified this person was in custody and ICE from there has to do a manual search to identify that this person is associated with a previous contact. That would’ve taken manual intervention and that doesn’t happen over a weekend,” Young explained during a phone interview.

She went on to explain the Kent County Sheriff’s Department had no reason to keep Perez in custody, so he was released on Oct. 22 — a day after his arrest.

It has been more than a decade since Perez first had contact with ICE, during which time he was twice deported to Mexico, the agency told 24 Hour News 8."

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

By-Brandon Hall(Email West MIPolitics@Gmail.com)Sheikh Mohammad Al Hajj Hassan, the Imam from Dearborn who supports Donald Trump, has joined the campaign as a member of the Michigan Middle East Leadership team.

The Middle East Leadership team is featured below.

In a statement, Hassan touted his Muslim faith, blasting Hillary Clinton for her ISIS ties while praising Trump. Hassan also urged people of all faiths to vote for "the Donald."

He also referenced his brother, who was kidnapped by ISIS... Hassan has previously blamed Hillary for co-founding the Islamic State...

"It is an honor to work with leaders from Michigan’s Middle Eastern community in support of Donald Trump for President," Hassan said. "We will be doing everything we can to get out the vote for Mr. Trump on November 8th because we know he is the only candidate who will bring the change needed to unleash our economy and make the world a safer and more peaceful place.

My friends and family overseas have been personally victimized as a direct result of the creation and spread of ISIS under Hillary Clinton’s watch. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s poor judgment at home and in the Middle East has already cost us too much, and we simply cannot afford a third Obama term. As a Muslim, I proudly support Donald Trump for President and urge people of all faiths and backgrounds to do the same.”

"CNN anchor Stephanie Cutter 'excited' to be pregnant with her first child at 44 - but there's no word on who the father is

Top political strategist turned CNN anchor, Stephanie Cutter is pregnant with her first child at the age of 44.

The Washington Post notes that there is no early word on who the father is and the blonde is, who is not married, is thought to be single.

A source told the publication that Ms Cutter, due in March, is 'very excited' about the prospect of motherhood and otherwise, 'not dishing about the details of the pregnancy at all."

Cutter, a close member of Obama's inner circle, is no stranger to the spotlight, serving as Michelle Obama's Chief Of Staff in 2008, and Deputy Campaign Manager in 2012. She then hosted "Crossfire" on CNN.

"worked for President Bill Clinton as Deputy Communications Director at the White House during his administration "to help restore Mr. Clinton’s image in the aftermath of (his) impeachment and Monica Lewinsky."

Beginning in 2001, she served as Communications Director for Senator Ted Kennedy. In November 2003, she was named communications director for the John Kerry campaign, at Kennedy's recommendation. During that campaign, she was criticized for having a surly and difficult personality and was often scapegoated for Kerry's loss. Kerry considered the criticism of her unfair and praised her work."Johnson, the former Chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, was recently in the news for a shady house he claims to live in, likely for tax purposes.

Johnson worked with Cutter on various projects via his wife during the Obama campaigns. Johnson is married to one of Cutter's best friends, Jennifer Smoot, who was also part of the Obama team-both Cutter and Smoot were Deputy Campaign Managers in 2012. Cutter and Smoot even attended college together.

Smoot helped raise millions for the President in 2008, then worked at the White House, marrying Johnson in 2011. (Interestingly enough, Smoot also used to work for John Edwards in her home state of North Carolina. Edwards was famous for his own love triangle/baby scandal)

Smoot and Cutter pose with members of the Obama team

Smoot then served as Obama Deputy Campaign Manager in 2012. After Obama's re-election, he was instrumental in Johnson's ouster of Mark Brewer as MDP Chair in 2013...

Cutter and Johnson have remained close, with Cutter co-hosting a $500 a plate fundraiser for Johnson earlier this year in Washington D.C.

Multiple social media posts from 2013, the year Cutter became pregnant, show Cutter and Johnson working together.

>>>Editor's Note: This story began when I accidentally referred to Cutter as Johnson's wife, and the following conversation ensued:

After receiving corroborating information that can not be released because it will reveal the source, and after further consultation with trusted sources about the information presented, I believe this to be an extremely credible allegation.

Just as I did with the Courser/Gamrat revelations first reported by WMP in July 2015, I believe these allegations are likely true.

>>>Stephanie Cutter, if you happen to be reading:

I am willing to pay for a DNA test of your child if you dispute this report and want to put an end to all of the speculation!

__________________________________________________________________

Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

The latest poll of likely Michigan voters, released Friday by Marketing Resource Group, showed Clinton ahead by five points from a poll of 600 likely voters. The margin of error of that poll is four percent.

"Either candidate can win Michigan by winning votes back from the third party candidates and capturing a majority of the 15 percent of the Independent voters who are still undecided," Marketing Resource Group President Tom Shields said in a statement. "This is coming down to a traditional election where the Independent voters will decide who wins Michigan."

__________________________________________________________________Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

Conservative activist Jared Maynard has been named the Macomb County Republican of the year.

State Senator Jack Brandenburg praised Maynard in a Facebook statement.

"I would personally like to congratulate Jared Maynard on winning the Alexander Groesbeck Award as the Macomb County Republican of the Year," Brandenburg said.

"I also want to thank Jared for his tireless efforts on behalf of our great party and for always being a true Republican. Jared will never forget that there is an "R" behind his name and he has always acted accordingly. I have had the pleasure of knowing Jared for almost 20 years. He is always at the front of the line when there is work to be done. You need 250 doors hit in a day, he is your man. You need 300 signs put up, he will get it done for you. He will give you great advice whether you want it or not, ha! Jared, once again, thank you very much for all that you have done for so many!"

__________________________________________________________________Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

"Robert Creamer, husband of Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Scott Foval -- two little-known but influential Democratic political operatives -- have left their jobs after video investigations by James O'Keefe's Project Veritas Action found them entertaining dark notions about how to win elections.

Foval was laid off on Monday by Americans United for Change, where he had been national field director. Creamer announced Tuesday night that he was "stepping back" from the work he was doing for the unified Democratic campaign for Hillary Clinton.

In the "voter fraud" video, Foval looks -- somehow -- even worse, describing how voters could be sent to midwestern states to cast fraudulent ballots. But when PVAction edits this into a narrative, something gets lost. Foval says that "Bob Creamer comes up with a lot of these ideas," but what the "ideas" are is lost to a quick edit.

After a quick introduction of Creamer that covers his 2005 conviction for tax evasion, Creamer is seen talking to a journalist posing as a possible donor, rambling a bit as he describes how to get voter IDs to people who need them.

"What do you really need, okay?" says the journalist. "What makes you a citizen? And if you look at that checklist, it's an ID card of any kind that shows you who you are and a pay stub that shows you're getting paid at a local address some place."

"To get registered, you mean?" asks Creamer.

"Yeah," says the journalist. "Let's say I had business inside of, say, Illinois or Michigan, and I hired people, and I had addresses for them, I could write them checks, I could use them as day laborers or whatever and use them and find my way around the voter registration law for Hispanics."

Creamer quickly begins jotting down names of voter registration groups: "There are a couple of different organizations, that's their big trick."

__________________________________________________________________Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

University of Michigan professor Susan Collins turned down a job with President Obama as Hillary's campaign head John Podesta desperately searched for an "asian" or "woman."

The diversity hunt coincides with what Team Hillary calls "food groups," their phrase to classify different races, genders, and other sub groups-they apparently think that is the most vital qualification while filling many important roles...

-----Original Message-----From: john.podesta@gmail.com [mailto:john.podesta@gmail.com] Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2008 2:09 PM To: Froman, Michael B [CAI]; James.Rubin@bcpartners.com Subject: Re: Susan Collins That sucks. Can you call Larry and see what minorities he would put in top tier? Could be an asian. I know this isn't Larry's taste, but better if a woman. ------Original Message------From: Mike Froman To: john.podesta@gmail.com To: James.Rubin@bcpartners.com Sent: Nov 8, 2008 1:59 PM Subject: Susan Collins Said no. She was terribly flattered, etc., but she's one year into a 5-year commitment as dean at Univ of Michigan, just moved her family back from DC to Michigan and regrets that this is the wrong time to take on something like this. I didn't let her say no during the first call, but after consulting with her husband and thinking about it, she called back. She, of course, would like to be helpful from where she is, etc.

__________________________________________________________________Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

"In an official statement made to WBKB, Robert Kennedy apologized for his actions, but maintained that the signs were improperly placed.

“I apologize for my actions over the weekend in removing two political yard signs that did not belong to me. They were placed too close to the US–23 highway, but it was not my role to remove them. And for taking on that role I am sorry. Before the police contacted me, I had returned the sign to my opponent,” stated Kennedy.

Kennedy has been informed to not remove improperly placed campaign signs, and to report them to law enforcement first.

With just a few weeks until the election, local Republican leaders are questioning Kennedy’s judgment after the incident.

Osmer, center, with Steve Yoder and Judi Schwalbach

“It’s not petty politics, which we usually see right before an election day. I think what this shows is a sincere lack of judgment by Mr. Kennedy, somebody who is running to represent the people of the 106th district, and frankly I fear it’s a sign of how he would act as a state representative, and the people of Northeast Michigan deserve much better,” said First Congressional District Republican Committee Chairman Jesse Osmer."

__________________________________________________________________

Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

Mayor Mike Duggan on Monday disclosed the city’s controversial demolition program had been suspended by the U.S. Treasury Department this summer to address “mistakes” and “errors.”

The federally funded program, Duggan said, had been at a standstill since Aug. 15 while the city and Detroit Land Bank Authority met with officials from Treasury and the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority to come up with a new set of practices. Treasury accepted the new procedures on Friday, he said.

Duggan declined to give specific examples of what went wrong, but noted some concern over paperwork, improper billing and misallocation of funds.

“No amount of error in the rules is tolerable,” Duggan said during a Monday news conference at City Hall. “We’re going to eliminate those mistakes with these new controls...”

News of the retooled practices comes as Detroit’s demolition program is at the center of a federal criminal investigation. The program first came under scrutiny last fall after concerns were raised over bidding practices and soaring costs, prompting audits and reviews."

__________________________________________________________________Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

Monday, October 17, 2016

By-Brandon Hall(Email West MIPolitics@Gmail.com)Sources tell WMP Michigan Republican Party Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel has removed Wendy Day from her position as MIGOP Grassroots Vice Chair after Day refused to back Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump, subsequently appearing on TV to bash him.Matt Hall, the State Committee member who requested Day's removal, praised the move."I applaud Chairwoman McDaniel for her strong principled leadership," Hall said in a statement to WMP. "She has proven yet again her dedication to electing the entire Republican ticket including Donald J. Trump. Her action reinforces the Michigan Republican Party's respect for its voters, and builds more trust and confidence from the electorate behind the Michigan Republican Party and its candidates."

Here is Ronna's statement:
"Michigan Republicans share many different opinions and viewpoints and we encourage a robust dialogue. There are only 12 positions within the Party that require the office holders to support the nominees chosen by the voters. Officers are held to a different standard because “Michigan Republican Party” is part of their title, and when they speak, they are reflecting the party as a whole. We are a Party governed by rules and bylaws, and supporting the nominees is part of the duty of every officer of the Party. Each individual elected to serve in an officer role was very clear on the obligations and duties of their position.

The Michigan Republican Party has 12 officer positions. These do not include the National Committeeman and Committeewoman positions. The obligation of these officers is to support the nominees up and down the ballot, as chosen by the voters, and work to elect the entire ticket. If, at any time, an officer is unable to support the entire ticket, they have the ability to resign from their position or remain silent while working for the other nominees.

Recently, our Grassroots Vice Chair appeared on a political talk show using her title and disparaging our Presidential nominee. In this instance, her appearance on the show gives the impression that the party does not support our nominee. Her position within the Party was part of what gave her credibility for the media interview. We also have many grassroots knocking doors and volunteering across the state whose efforts were diminished by our Grassroots Chair's actions.

Over the weekend, the interview was brought to my attention, and I asked our Grassroots Vice Chair to either declare support for the nominee, or do as her conscience dictates and resign from a position she knew required support for our ticket. In her recent response, she shared that she is unable to support our nominee and will not resign.

Upon seeking advice from our legal counsel, and recognizing that our Grassroots Vice Chair is unable to fulfill the duties of her office, I am declaring the position of Grassroots Vice Chair vacant.

This has been one of the more difficult decisions I have made as Chair. Wendy is my friend. I want to thank Wendy for her service and leadership to our party and know that she will continue to be a strong leader in the Republican Party. In coming to this decision, I applied the rule as if the nominee were Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rick Snyder, or any other Republican Party nominee.

Our Party is governed by rules and bylaws, and our elected officers have a duty to abide by them. The public nature of appearing on television, using the MRP title, and denouncing our nominee undercuts the mission of the Party and the efforts of those who are working to elect Donald Trump and every Republican across the state.

Thank you for your continued efforts to turn Michigan red on November 8th.

A Michigan Republican Party official likely will be forced from her post after refusing to back GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and declining to resign, a spokeswoman said Monday...

Day’s refusal to resign now leaves the decision up to Romney McDaniel, who told central committee members on Sunday that she was awaiting Day’s letter before making any decision.

“I believe we will have to remove her,” said Michigan GOP spokeswoman Sarah Anderson, who had not yet seen Day’s letter but cited bylaws. The party has 12 elected officials, Anderson explained, and the grassroots chair is responsible for get-out-the-vote efforts.

"McDaniel sent a weekend e-mail to state committee members alerting them to the fact Day was facing removal, after receiving a complaint about Day from Matt Hall, a state committee member from western Michigan.

"Our bylaws dictate that if an elected officer of the party is not supporting our ticket, they be removed," Anderson said Monday.

That's especially important for a grassroots leader, and Day has compounded matters by speaking out against Trump in media interviews, she said.

"If somebody was very opposed to french fries and hated french fries, they can't take a job at McDonald's and refuse to sell french fries," Anderson said."

__________________________________________________________________Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

State Rep. Lee Chatfield and RNC National Committeewoman Kathy Berden spent time this weekend campaigning for retired Lt. General Jack Bergman in Michigan's 1st Congressional District.

Bergman is in the midst of a tough race against former Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson...

"Thank you to everyone who joined Jack Bergman and me yesterday as we toured the 107th district! It was a great time speaking of our vision for this region and for our nation," Chatfield said in a Facebook statement.

"If you wish to send a man to Washington with a proven record of fighting to defend our livelihood and Constitution, there's only one option in this race: Lt. Gen. Jack Bergman.

The 1st Congressional district deserves a man of integrity who cares about the future of our children, and that's why I'm voting for Jack Bergman! Remember, get out and vote on November 8."

Berden also spent time in Northern Michigan for Bergman...

Berden, center, with Bergman right and Pete Hoekstra

__________________________________________________________________Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.